It’s a fact, new technologies have revolutionized our daily lives. The only downside is that our personal data and information are increasingly exposed. This flaw is not lost on some hackers, who use all sorts of fraudulent schemes to deceive their victims. The SMS bank scam is no exception. Explanation.
Bank fraud and credit card cloning are increasingly common. Although the means vary, the objective remains the same: to scam the victims and steal large sums of money from them. Generally, the methods used are skilfully worked out so as not to arouse suspicion. Banking SMS fraud is a new means of scam which is spreading more and more and which claims tens of thousands of victims. In this article, we will take stock of this scam as well as the reflexes to adopt in order to avoid this kind of scam.
What is the SMS bank scam?
This fraudulent scheme consists of sending an SMS to the targeted victim, containing a link informing him that a third party has tried to access his account. This suspicious link contains a virus that will take root and infect the cell phone immediately. If the banking application is already downloaded on your phone, then this virus allows hackers to access your bank account and rob it with complete peace of mind.. Thus all your saved connection data will be reused.
Scam SMS sent to mobile phone. Source: spm
In addition, some hackers do not hesitate to impersonate a bank advisor. Indeed, they contact the victims and present themselves as employees of the bank. They then report to the victim that they have detected a suspicious transaction on their account, then ask them to follow instructions to report this inconvenience. After hanging up the phone, the victim quickly realizes that a certain amount of money has been debited from his account. Thanks to the information obtained, the scammer was able to siphon off his victim’s account. Generally, scammers target holders of prepaid bank cards. This payment method is not only easy to use, but also leaves no trace. Investigations can sometimes be complicated because the telephone number communicated with the SMS is generally no longer operational, when the victims decide to file a complaint with the authorities.
The reflexes to adopt in the event of bank fraud
To guard against a possible attempted bank scam, it is advisable to constantly monitor your bank account in order to quickly identify any fraudulent debits. It is easy to detect the amounts debited by hackers, because it is often a question of large sums. If this happens to you, contact your bank immediately to oppose it urgently. In this way, you will not be accused of negligence and you can request a claim for reimbursement.
Couple who find money missing from their account – Source: spm
As you will have understood, bank fraud is more and more widespread. For their part, hackers are constantly innovating to scam their victims, constantly looking for new ways, without being noticed. Whatever method is used to trick the victims and empty their bank accounts, it is necessary to take certain precautions in order to avoid falling into the trap.
Read also Why should you keep little money in your bank account? For an important reason
Via SPM
